Billie Sucher Blog

Happy Holidays From the Heartland

Memories are those moments

Tucked away in your heart.

Somehow they stay with you,

They’re an important part.

 

Of who you once were,

Of what you are now,

Of who you hope to become

Even though you wonder how.

 

Time passes so quickly

The clock’s ticking away

And you say to yourself

Oh, it’s just another day.

 

Well, this day is upon you,

It’s yours for the taking

So prize it immensely

In the plans you are making.

 

We can’t predict the future,

Nor dwell on the past

We can only treasure this moment

And love it while it lasts.

 

And if someone’s touched your life

Or made a difference to you.

Now’s a good time to tell them

If that’s possible to do.

 

Remember, our moments are the magic

And in our dreams dwell the hope

Offering a chance to start anew

As we imagine and we cope.

 

So, celebrate each new day

And find more good than bad

Treat each day as the last

And not the first to be had.

 

Wishing you abundance and joy

Prosperity and peace be with you.

And may life’s richest rewards

Be ever-present with you, too.                          

Copyright 1995, 2011 Billie Sucher

With Bad Advice, Do You Pay the Price?

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

Remember the last time you randomly asked someone for directions to get to a place? Remember how they told you to go down there a couple of blocks, then turn left at the light, go a couple miles that way, make a sharp right and that should do it? Remember how you did that and ended up more lost than ever?

Reminds me of bad directions for a job search. Unfortunately, I have heard quite a few bad directions from job seekers who tell me that their well-intentioned neighbor, friend, cousin, roommate, or stranger told them how to write a resume or told them this or that about finding a job. Some would argue that it really doesn’t matter who tells you what, as long as it works to find new employment.

However, if the counsel you have received doesn’t, didn’t or hasn’t worked for you and you have been between jobs for six, 12, 18, 24, 30+ months or longer, perhaps you might consider the accuracy of the information you’re getting. While it is important to reach out to people to support you, guide you, help you and be by your side in your quest for new employment, it surely doesn’t do you much good if you wind up at the rest stop of the job search trip because you took an exit based on bad directions and/or just because they were free.  

If the directions, free advice, free counsel, and job hunt input you have been given by countless caring people simply isn’t working for you, here’s some more advice and yes, it is also free:

Ask five people for the name of a career management professional in the community / country that (in their opinion) has a good stellar reputation in the industry. If you do not get any names, ask five more people and keep asking until you get a name.

Go to LinkedIn and see if that person has a LinkedIn profile. Read about them. Read their recommendations. Contact someone you may know listed in the pro’s  recommendations; call them and listen closely to their response when you ask them the following questions:

• What did you like best about your experience in working with So and So?
• What, if anything, did you not like about your experience in working with So and So?
• Would you still recommend So and So and would you work with him/her again if you had a career need?
• On a scale of 1 – 10, what number would you give So and So with 1 being very poor and 10 being over the top good?
• Is there anything else about So and So that would be of value to know?

Call the pro(s) whose name(s) you have been given and ask the following questions, well before you ask them about their professional fee structure. (Something to consider:  Would you call a brain surgeon if you desperately needed brain surgery and start the conversation with : “Hello there, how much do you charge?” Probably not, though it happens frequently in the career management industry). Instead, you could engage the pro by asking the following questions before inquiring about their respective fees. It doesn’t take but a few minutes to run through the questions listed below and it could save you precious time (and money) in the long run.

1. What is your background?

2. When did you get started in the business?

3. What population do you serve?

4. What qualifies you to dispense career information?

5. What is your level of success?

6. How will we work together: via phone, IM, in office, Starbucks?

7. What can I expect from you and your services?

8. Why should I choose you over Brand A and Brand B?

9. Help me understand your fee structure and payment requirements.

If you find yourself sitting at a career crossroads still contemplating which road to take next, how about the possibility of seeking professional help, guidance, direction and support? To discover more information about how to find a career coach/counselor in your area, consider reading Appendix B: A Guide to Choosing A Career Coach or Counselor in the book What Color Is Your Parachute – Pages 288-303 in the 2011 Edition.

“The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of a cheap price is forgotten.”

Generations and The Job Search

Remember that interview you just conducted where you told the candidate I have tee-shirts older than you are.

Remember when you called the job seeker sitting before you a whippersnapper?

Remember when you said to the head of the department that he was about your Grandpa’s age?

Remember going to the interview and describing one of your biggest achievements as taking place back in the day.

Remember when you told your HR buddy that the person you just interviewed was still wet behind the ears?

Remember when you went to the interview about a month ago and said the following words to the Gen Y Hiring Manager: Youngsters of today just don’t get it.

Remember when one of your colleagues inquired if you were on LinkedIn and you replied with can’t say that I’ve heard of it.

Remember when you went to that networking event and asked someone about a twit when what you really meant was a tweet?

Remember when the recruiter asked you if you had a blog and you responded with: so what’s a blog?

Remember when the 20-something manager said to you, a Baby Boomer,  I don’t care about your age, I care about commitment and will you show up and do the job.

Past. Present. Future. Generations Global.

Do You GET It?

Earlier today, I presented a session on the subject of blogging for the local Chamber’s Techno Tuesday event. The first part of the program covered the usual stuff one might wish to know about blogging. The second part (much more fun in my opinion) offered each participant an opportunity to write their very first blog post. As attendees were thinking and writing their posts, I, too, was thinking about the post that I wanted to write. I have been thinking about the word get and how much it impacts life. Have you ever considered how such a simple word – get -- can play such a large role in your life, especially if the most recent chapter of your life is consumed with career transition and job search?

Get aboard.

Get about.

Get above it.

Get after it.

Get along.

Get answers.

Get around.

Get at it.

Get away.

Get behind it.

Get beyond it.

Get by it.

Get fit.

Get from it.

Get going.

Get help.

Get hired.

Get in it.

Get into it.

Get it.

Get involved.

Get off it.

Get on it.

Get out of it.

Get over it.

Get past it.

Get smart.

Get through it.

Get to it.

Get up.

Get well.

Get with it.

It's About the Swag

I love the conversations I have with clients as I never know where they will lead. This morning’s conversation led to, among other things, this word:

SWAG

My client was telling me about how now would be a good time to consider cutting his own wasteful spending.

I looked up the definition of swag; for the purposes of this post, here’s one definition:

“products given away free typically for promotional purposes.”

Think about that last convention you attended? How much loot swag did you haul home? Think about the open houses, forums, trade shows, and events where you picked up some swag? How much swag is taking up space in your office right now?

Me, I’m a pen and pencil junkie!

And notebooks and/or notepads.

I still have The Ladders spiral-bound notebook from one of the national career conferences I attended!

I love it! It is a swag favorite!

Swag!

Consider this: in your own practice, business and personal life, what, if any, swag might you cut out? And if you say you have no swag in your professional or personal life, then here are a few more questions to ask yourself:

1. How can I reduce expenses?
2. How can I cut wasteful spending?
3. How can I become more cost efficient?
4. What is the ‘extra’ that needs to go?
5. What might I sacrifice that won’t be missed?

Thanks to my client for helping me think about this subject matter as I gave him one of my free pens.

Swag. 

The Reclamation Project

Let’s say that you lost your job a few weeks ago. Let’s say that you are really struggling to make sense of it all. Let’s say that you can’t think about your future because you are so focused on your past and what was. What your job title was. Where your place of business was. Where your paycheck was. Where your future was. Where your retirement plan was. And now, what was, is no more. So what do you do now?

You start over.

You start again.

You start anew.

You get out of bed.

You stop crying.

You stop calling the person who canned you every nasty name in the book.

You make some phone calls.

You begin to read.

You educate yourself bit-by-bit on 2011 best practices of the job hunt.

You commit to going to your ‘new office’ (the corner of the bedroom) every day from 9-3.

You track yourself on a daily basis to measure how you are doing.

You reach out to someone who loves you and cares about you – unconditionally.

You get some help.

You sleep better.

You write about the lessons you learned from losing your job.

You take out a piece a paper and write down all the stuff you lost….paycheck, laptop, company car, health benefits, and more.

You take out a piece of paper and write down all the stuff you get to keep:

Your knowledge:  you get to keep it.

Your skills:  you get to keep them.

Your abilities:  you get to keep them.

Your talents:  you get to keep them.

Your gifts:  you get to keep them.

Your successes:  you get to keep them.

Your contributions:  you get to keep them.

Your amazing brand:  you get to keep it.

Your amazing brand:  you can always rebrand it.

Your amazing brand:  you can always upgrade it.

Your identity:  you get to redefine it.

Another chance:  if you choose to take it!

Out of the job loss rubble and pile of hurt and pain and tears and upset and frustration and panic and devastation, I hope you will value yourself enough to realize all that you get to keep as you move forward in your reclamation project to a new beginning.

 

 

 

Takeoff to Touchdown: Your Job Search

Taxiing out of Reagan National last night, the flight attendant announced that it would be two hours and 15 minutes from takeoff to touchdown.

Takeoff to touchdown.

A few minutes later, the captain announced that it would be a smooth ride.

A smooth ride.

Wouldn’t it be spectacular if someone would assure you that your job hunt was going to be a smooth ride from takeoff to touchdown?

In the event you are just now boarding the job search flight this first Monday of November, 2011, here are a few tips to support your safe travel en route to your final destination.

Job Search Boarding Pass Checklist:

Financial – Scrutinize and review your current financial condition. Where can you trim, cut and reduce expenses during this period of career transition?

Emotional – Evaluate and examine your mental toughness. What strategies have worked well for you in the past when confronted with some of life’s toughest challenges? What can you do now to keep yourself motivated and inspired to effectively compete for a job in today’s saturated market place?

Physical – Analyze your present fitness plan. If you have a physical fitness program in place, you are already in motion. If not, what can you do starting today to enhance your commitment to your health and physical wellness?

Spiritual – Critique your spiritual well-being and reassess what works best for you, whether it’s taking a walk and communing with nature, conversing with a member of the clergy or some other activity that holds meaning for you.

Occupational – Assess and audit your brand, from top to toe. Reflect upon where you have been and give yourself a chance to recover, rethink and rebuild. Or, what about a rebrand?  Then, thoughtfully and carefully consider where you hope to go prior to walking across that jet bridge.

Wheels up. 

"You have such a chance! Oh, how I wish I were you!!!" ~ Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. ~ Yale University Class Day, May 1994

 

 

Trick or Treat: Halloween Monday for Job Seekers

What are you afraid of as it relates to finding a new job?

What spooks you about changing careers?

What lurks in your professional background?

What do you most dread about looking for a new opportunity?

What is your biggest fear about your job or the job hunt?

What freaks you out about the job search process?

What’s the scariest thing you can think of about changing jobs?

What, if anything, about your professional past haunts you?

What is the creepiest thing you have ever experienced in a job interview?

What, if any, demons are dancing around your job hunt?

What’s the weirdest situation you have ever encountered during your search for new employment?

What hair-raising tales can you share about your career transition?

Are you walking around like a zombie doing your job search tasks?

What frightens you most about looking for work or starting a new business?

What, if any, job search tricks have worked for you in securing a job offer treat?

Swing Batta Batta Swing: Resilience and the Job Hunt Game

Maybe you stayed up late last night watching the Cards and the Rangers. I had planned on the game being over around 10 – um, not so fast – to be continued this evening. As I watched that World Series game, I thought about this word: resilience. For me, resilience as it relates to job seekers, seems to be a whole lot like the game of baseball:

To fight your way back.

To charge your way through.

To find your way forward.

To give more than you ever knew you had.

To keep the faith even when the facts aren’t in your favor.

To see possibilities when many would pack it up and go home.

To not let distractions distract you.

To rely on your team to see you through.

To keep your eye on the ball when you rip it or you don’t.

To not think you’ve won when you’re but one strike away.

To want it more than the opposition does.

To be in the moment en route to the goal.

To keep your cool when you don’t like the call.

To view rejection as a reason to keep going, not an end result.

To do whatever it takes to stay in the game:  walk, run, slide, sprint, dive, drive and maybe even play hurt.

To get up faster than you fell down.

To not let up in good times or bad.

To not be deterred by bad calls or low balls.

To add excellence into each and every move you make.

To keep your head in the game, no matter how loud the noise.

To keep on trying when quitting would be easier.

To swing hard when it’s your turn to shine.

To step up to the challenge with confidence and courage.

To sustain a winning spirit when nothing is going your way.

To convince yourself that you can’t win if you don’t play.

To carry on with confidence when you screw up, or when someone screws it up for you.

To sustain a respectful demeanor no matter the stats on the scoreboard.

To be ready for what’s coming at you, be it curve balls, back door sliders or change-ups.

To keep on playing, even if you have to go for extra innings.

It ain’t over till it’s over ~ Yogi Berra

We Can Work It Out

You can get it wrong and still you think that it’s all right.

~ John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Are you looking for a job? Are you holding on to the job you have, yet can’t stand going to work? Did you get fired from your job recently? Have you been unemployed for two months or maybe even two years? 

When I listen to people, be it my clients, a speaker, a colleague, a friend, or one of our children, I am always listening for the essence, the takeaway, the nugget of what they are saying. The other day, I was listening to a speaker talk about working things out, whatever it might be in life. And the main message I took away from his presentation: “We can work it out.”

What in your job search would be well, wise and worth it for you to work out?

Do you need to work out how you are going to pay your bills to keep things afloat until you can find new employment?

Do you need to work out how you are going to start that business you’ve always talked about doing?

Do you need to work out how you are going to interact with a boss or co-worker you do not like until you can find a new job elsewhere?

Do you need to work out how you are going to write a résumé when you have held seven different jobs in the past five years?

Do you need to work out how to speak about yourself and your brand before you go to market and explore new opportunities?

Do you need to work out how to stay motivated and energized, up and on after being rejected 15, 20, or more times?  

Do you need to work out how to learn more about social media and how it could be another valuable tool for you?

Do you need to work out how to juggle unemployment and part-time work and who will watch the kids?

Do you need to work out how to talk to your spouse, partner or loved one how you’re going to ‘get through this’ together instead of apart?

Do you need to work out how you are going to explain to a Hiring Manager why you are between jobs?

Do you need to work out how you are going to tell your family that you are really struggling with being out of work?

Do you need to work out how to renew, rebuild and repair relationships with the people in your life who really matter?

Do you need to work out a way to forgive yourself, stop blaming yourself and resist the temptation of seeing yourself as a failure?

Do you need to work out a way to let someone know that you are sorry for what you said?

Do you need to promise yourself that you will do whatever it takes to hustle, to stay focused and to leave no stone unturned in making changes that need to be made to work out your life?

Do you need to work out in your mind and heart that you buy-in to the concept of we can work it out?

Life is very short, and there’s no time

For fussing and fighting, my friend.

~ John Lennon, Paul McCartney